the one with transfers before christmas

Hola Everybody! your favorite missionary coming your way once again from down here in Santiago.

So this week in a nut shell went by really fast. today were transfers in the mission and your home boy and his companion Elder Puello are staying in esmeralda for the holidays so we chillin for now. but unfortunately the other 2 missionaries from esmeralda cant say the same. thats right elder west from colorado and elder muñoz from puerto montt chile are taking off so it was sad saying goodbye to our buddies cause we grew real close. but thats how the mission is, hellos and goodbyes all the time, its an emotional rollercoaster but you learn a lot during the ride. but other than that we're good we're happy, and trying to not melt before christmas. I wanted to say to you all that i wish you a Merry Christmas, while i spend my last christmas away from home and my family i just ask that you cherish the one that you have. love them, enjoy the little things because you dont realize how special they are until you dont have them. trust me i know. I hope you all are on santas nice list and that you enjoy the true reason for the season. i guess thats all for now. have a great week and i love you all and miss you a bunch. 

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week: 

1. everyone and their mother wants to go to miami here, they think its their escape since its the states but you dont need to know english to get around, what cheaters

2. here in chile theres a version of fruit cake called pan de pascua and everyone eats it here but the peruvians have a much better version called panetón and im telling you the chileans dont know what theyre missing out on...Peru 1 Chile 0

3. so here theres a system of taxis called collectivos and how it works is that you pay 500 pesos which is about 80 cents and they drive certain routes and you have to get off at some point in that route and you get in with complete strangers, its like a bus system but as taxi cars, it takes a bit of getting use to but its cool

the one with the breakfast burritos

Hola Everyone!!! here we are another tuesday in melting december down here in Chile. all you guys going skiing and snow ball fights and drinking hot chocolate, i envy you. haha but honestly im fine its not my first chilean christmas but sadly enough it is my last so ill be definitely making some memories this year but we still have like 2 weeks. what to say about the week, we're getting into dead summer here and we're feeling it, we're drinking a lot of water, walking in as much shade as we can find and putting on sunscreen every 4 hours haha i hope youre proud momma. but we cut loose a bit today with a water balloon fight some volleyball, basketball and a barbecue, summer traditions right? 

but as far as everything going on, we're still working hard and trying to bring this gospel to everyone we can, in every language we can possibly speak. i wanted to take a moment to say that i have learned so much during my time as a missionary. ive truly grown spiritually, mentally, emotionally, maybe even a little physically. i will never regret the 2 years im giving to my Heavenly Father. if you guys have any questions, or just want to say whats up id appreciate the email. and also if we can all pray for the people being affected by the fires in southern california these days, im sure theyd all be very grateful. i love you all and i hope you have a wonderful week. 

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

fun facts of the week:

1. everyone and their mother sells popsicles out of their houses during summer, i cant walk 10 feet without the option of a cheap popsicle

2. its totally normal to sell stuff straight out of your house whether it be bread, water, or pet hamsters you dont have to go far to find what you need

3. when you tell a chilean to eb somewhere at 8 oclock, him and you both know he'll get there at 9-9:30 its just the truth 

the one with the chilean mansion

Hoa Everybody!!! Really quick sorry guys i dont have much time this week, long story but i wanted to make sure to write you all so you know im alive and well down here in my new country haha. this week has been great full of heat, funny experiences and spiritual ones as well. i had a great opportunity to have an intercambio with a buddy of miner Elder McCurdy from Conneticut, i know random state right i didnt know there are mormons there either haha. but it was great and we saw this beautiful mansion in the middle of nowhere, sometimes that happens here in Chile. but Johnson was also confrimed a member of the church and i was able to give him the gift of the holy ghost, it was my first time ever doing the ordinance and it was so amazing, the Spirit was truly present. anyways thats the highlight of the week. some of you might have seen a video of me and a few other missionaries singing silent night since my mom posted it everywhere, im sorry i was definitely not thinking that was gunna go on the internet...no harm done i suppose haha. Have a great week!!!

facts of the week

1. the chilean dogs are an advanced species they dont only bark and try to bite you but they run formations and try to attack from the high ground, i nearly peed my pants

2. when youre a missionary and you know people, those people everyonce in a while sure come in handy, i met abus driver that i didnt know the next day would be giving me a free ride to where i needed to go, its all about who you know

the one with the bowling win

Hola Everyone!!!! Another week has passed in the wonderful time which is the mission, every week is getting faster. but this week was a really good one not gunna lie. first off we had a baptism, our buddy Johnson Bordes got baptized on Sunday and it was a really beautiful service, he seems really happy. this week has been great in the life of a missionary baptizing, teaching, talking to people, helping people and just trying to make the world a better place. how can i not be happy?

And on top of that today we went bowling and i started off kinda poorly but i sure heated up and ended up winning out of the group, so check me out I'm a mean green baptizing strike machine haha. I'm totally just joking. but sorry i don't have more to say i'm just happy and content and learning more everyday. i wish you all the best and have a wonderful week!!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. it is hard to set up a baptismal service without something messing up, poor Johnson didn't have hot water to get baptized in

2. people here when they're hot just open fire hydrants and start playing in the water, I'm pretty sure that's illegal where I'm from

the one with thanksgiving dinner...halleluyah

Hola Everybody!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!! i know im 2 days early but better now than never am i right? man where do i get started. this week has been a full week with zone conference and activities and just puttin my nose to the grind stone. Its been getting pretty hot down here in Colina, Chile but that has been stopping us from helping everyone we can find. 

This week we had the amazing opportunity to have zone conference and hear from our liders in the mission including our President Meservy, his wife and other liders. it was great, we received help and advice on how we can basically help more people know the Gospel. and on top of that, our President and his family went up up and beyond to pull off a thanksgiving dinner for us. they had turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans even stuffing. its the little things you appreciate went you havent had it in a long time, nearly teared up haha kidding. but yeah besides that we've just been working hard and trying to help and teach as many people that are willing to listen, our message changes lives. I want to wish you all a wonderful thanksgiving, i invite you all to take the time to be grateful for the things you have and the people that you love and love you back, ive learned a lot of gratitude since being away from all of that. I love you all very much and have a great week and grub up!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. children hate going to school here, they play hooky all the time its ridiculous

2. its a tradition here as a birthday boy/girl that you have to bite a piece of your cake after being sang to, but someone else has to sneakily shove your face into the cake when you go for the bite, its not a birthday without it. 

3. haitians take their church dress very seriously here, youd think they were going to prom or something

the one with the first week in colina

Hola Everybody!!! Its me again ive made it one week in my new sector in Colina just so you guys all know Colina in spanish means hill so i guess you could say im in the middle of a few hills haha not a great description i know. but yeah so its been a super busy week with getting to know, well everyone. im the newbie in the sector so ive been saying hi to a lot of faces ive never seen beofre getting to know everyone. the mission is sure full of a lot of hellos and goodbyes, im good at the hellos but the goodbyes are still kinda tough for me, youd think id be a pro by now. but anyways alls been good here just learning more everyday and working hard. its gottin so hot that i feel like im drinking 10 liters of water daily just to stay standing haha. but thats the mission life gotta love it. ive been good and ill be even better as i get use to things here just keep me n your prayers, and i hope you know that youre all in mine as well. well thats about it for now, side note: a drunk man that we were talking with last night named jota said that if he was a girl he would be dating me hahaha and then he gave me a lettuce head to take home, it was hilarious. memories like that is what its all about i suppose, oh yeah and teaching the gospel ;) i wish you all a great week and i send you my best!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. in chile its rude to shake hands with gloves on, its a lack of respect, just fyi

2. here the children dont believe in the tooth fairy they believe in ratoncito, some rat that comes in the night an takes teth and leaves money, that sounds terrifying if you ask me...

3. all streets in chile are named after some famous chilean person, but the catch is that every chilean is either named luis, marco, fernando or roberto so it can make things a little complicated

the one with halloween, last birthday in the mission and too many tears

Hola Everybody!!! so here i am coming to you live once again. this week has been a week to remember to say the least. so many experiences and memories were made, happy and sad. the biggest news is that thursday night i got a call saying i had transfers and my last day in Llay Llay would be November 5th...my 20th birthday. it was the saddest birthday of my life saying goodbye to the people i love here in beautiful LLay LLay. ill never forget the memories i made here and all the lessons learned. best few months of my mission. Now im with a guy from Colombia named Elder Puello here in a zone called Colina Esmeralda. its still otuside Santiago but a good in between city and country. I want to say thanks to all those that send me birthday wishes,i really appreciate it and i can say that next year ill be state side once again. i love you all soo much and i love the mission. i love the people i serve, i love where i am and i love having the name of Jesus Christ on my chest each and every day. ill talk to you all next week!!!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera (20 year old)

facts of the week:

1. people in llay llay love the missionaries so much to the point of crying when they leave

2. the more the people cry the more you know they love you

3. greasers are super orginial costumes here in chile, and the easiest thing ever for a missionary

 i cant send photos from the computer that im at but next week for sure, get ready for a picture overload!!!

the one with the bmx tricks

Hola Everybody!!! Here i am another week in windy LLay LLay, youd think im in chicago except all the tall buildings and style and police violence. But yeah its been a great week here we are coming into my last week of the transfer with my comp and im thinking hes out of town coming next Monday so we're making the most of the time we still have together. we have some great pics and stuff so stand by and more will come givin we have halloween (favorite holiday) and as i come to the end of my 19th year of life. i know crazy stuff, last birthday in the mission, none of ya'll knew me as a 19 year old but ill see you all as a 20 year old. so yeah things are great, riding bikes a lot, preaching the gospel and soaking up the sun (unfortunately too much). i wish you all a great week a happy halloween and may all your trick or treating be successful tonight. (especially you Kami Lu)

I love you all so much talk to ya next week!!!

Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. its completely normal for haitians to live like 20 in a small house. theyre all very close.

2. its required to use helmets as missionaries on bikes, i feel lame but on occasions i see the necessity

3. people in chile wait until the day of to buy all their halloween costumes, it stresses me out

the one with the creole ward

Hola Everybody!!!! I hope everyones been doing well and enjoying there fall, things are actually heating up down here in Chile as we're getting into spring, more like mid summer it feels like (see photo below, promise i put on sunscreen mom). but this week was great it went by fast but just from being busy and having fun. I had a great interchange with my buddy Andrew Flores from Orem, UT. and i realized that we're like the same person, it was crazy, missinary work is so fun when you have so much to talk about with your companion, we just talked all day long and it passed by too fast. We met a dude that lived in New Jersey for like 20 years and it was so weird to hear the mixture of his spanish with a jersey accent, i imitate it all the time now haha. but the best part of the week, obviously sunday when i kid you not over 20 haitains showed up to church, the building was full of just stylish haitians there to worship God, it was so awesome. Man life is good, the things i see everyday continue to surprise me. 

but yeah that was basically my week and i wish you all a great week as well, until next tuesday guys!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. Chilean, New Jerseans swear more than anyone ive ever met, even sailors would be appauled

2. Haitains own dress shirts of all colors of the rainbow, in church i felt like i was in the 80s

3. when girls here think your cute, instead of doing a cat call or that classic whistle they just make a kissy noise with their lips, pretty sure a 80 year old woman did it to us yesterday

the one with the haitian futbol

Hola Everybody!!! Man im sorry to disappoint ya'll but this week wasnt all that noteworthy and all but we worked hard i saw miracles, its been good stuff. We did do an activity to invite the haitians to get to know the church by invited them to a soccery tournament that we were doing. there wasnt as much as we wouldve liked but those that show up put in work, those hatiains know how to play, soccer is a universal language and people of all walks of life can be friends in a good game of futbol. but other than that we've just been working, riding a lot of bike and getting some swoll thighs. call me Lance. 

i love you guys so much i wish you all a great week and im sorry this email wasnt one of my bests but im great no worries, living the dream!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. for a cultural that loves to play soccer, its actually kind of difficult to find someone that has a soccer ball, like how can that be?

2. the cheetos here in the chile are not even close to the same thing as the US stuff. dont try it, youve been warned.

3. even chilean girls are obsessed with the same 3 movies that all girls i know are, the proposal, the notebook and anything that stars Zac Efron, some thigns never change

the week with water ballons fights

Hola Everybody!!!

so this week has been great kinda short with meetings and all but a good one nevertheless. gosh its crazy when i get down to writing ya'll i go blak on what even happened this week. well this past wednesday we ahd an amazing zone conference with our awesome President Meservy and his wife and even his sons participated. we learned a lot and grew in faith that day. we left from that conference just ready to work hard and teach everybnody we saw about the restored gospel of jesus christ. its been great and then yesterday we did an activity in the branch called "the best 13 hours" where youth from the branch and future missionaries came out and worked as a missionary for the day. they studied in the morning planned their days they worked and taught and contacted just as any missionary would. i got the opportunity to leave with a couple great youth and i felt really cool to be a missionary with them and teach them what the life is like in the mission. it made me prod of what i do each and everyday. and today we realxed a bit and played fútbol (3 goals for Cabrera) and then we ended with a water balloon fight and i got way too wet, they all teamed up on my and trapped me in the corner, i felt so vulnerable and im mildly wet as i still write you guys. but as you can tell its been a great week. im great, the mission is great and i couldnt ask for more.

I send you my best and i wish you all a great week!!!

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. haitains have the coolest names, im currently teaching 3 people named Wonder, Brucelee, and Franz.

2. haitains looks a lot like nba players, without being racist theyre tall and this one guy i know looks just like Kevin Durant (stand by for photos)

3. You say 2 words in creole and all the haitain people think youre a brother to them

the one with conferencia genial

Hola everybody! so for those of you that speak spanish youll think my title was super clever and for those of you that dont speak spanish, you always have google translate but you wont get it the same way sorry guys. Well here we are another week later of this short time that is the mission. I have officially finished my third general conference in the mission and that means that theres only one more, how crazy to think. IM 2/3 rds done with my mission and its flying by way too fast. but lets not get ahead of ourselves im still here pumped and workign hard. but the conference was amazing and for those of you that dont know what general conference is, its the opportunity that we have twice a year to hear from our prophet (yes theres a prophet today just like Moses in his day) and his 12 apostles (yes just like Jesus Christ had 12 apostles). They talk with us and offer us guidance and counsel for these latter days. i cant be more grateful to have that help in my life. It is such a blessing to have someone on the earth that can say "Thus saith the Lord, because i speak with Him." If we didnt have that access, we would truly be lost. I promise you that the Heavans are not closed, that the Lord speaks, he didnt just speak. Im doing great as you all can tell and i send my best to all of you and the victims of the recent shooting in Las Vegas. I send my prayers out to them and their families. I wish your safety and well being.

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. i know appreciate lawn mowers on a whole new level due to the fact that days ago i cut an entire lawn with a pair of hand scissors, service is service no matter how much it sucks

2.if you look just a tad gringo with lighter brunette hair youre automatically bound to be called Ken doll everywhere you go, it could be worse

3. here in Chile they sell salads in these little platic bags that looks like those little bags they give you at carnivals when you win goldfish, trips me up everytime

The one with the baptismal earthquake

Hola Everybody!!! So at the end of the transfers that took place.....we stay together Elder Guiñazú and I and we're stoked we've got some good things going on here and we pass it way too well. stand by for a music video or something. but yeah so this week went fast since last wednesday and just a update, i got sick with a fever for like a night and i was a bit week the following day but dont freak out guys because im better now. so this past Saturday there was another baptism in the ward and we had a part to play in it so we were there and right after the woman was baptized there was an earthquake here that was actually one of the more powerful ones ive felt since being here. it was so dope we all took it as a heavenly manisfestation hahaha kinda kidding. but yeah so the duo is together for 6 weeks more and im loko forward to some great things soon. stand by for more baptismal photos. i love the mission guys, i know for a fact that the church is true and that its the only church on the face of the earth that has the priesthood power of God, and the only authorized Church of Jesus Christ. i promise you with all my heart that its true and i invite you all to pray to know the same. He'll answer, he always does. maybe not right away but He answers.

I wish you all a great week and i love ya'll very much.

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

alright here we are:

Fun Facts:

1. so according to medicine Cabrera if you overdose on vitamin C it breaks your fever, i have helped sever missionaries that way but in the end i found out, thats completely not true...maybe it should be?

2. dont ask chileans how to spell their name because they  get offended, its the one thing in spanish that doesnt make sense how its spelled

3. when you go buy groceries, you have to tip the bag boy at the end here, its a real inconvenience...i just give whatever change i get back, if its 50 pesos...tough luck kid

Love ya'll!!!

the one with my last 18th of september

Hola Hola everybody! sorry this is coming to you all a day late but neverthe less here i am after another week in whats felt like a smoke of barbecue, folkloric dancing and coca cola. So this past monday was the famous 18 of september the chilean independence day and it has came and gone and its sad to say its my last one. It ended well though we ate A LOT  of food celebrated like classic chileans would. we had an activity with the ward and we played classic games and just had a ball. 

Its sad to think this is my last one but it made me make the most of it. the work has been a little slow since everyone was traveling and doing their own family thing. but that didnt get us down. this is probably my last week with my beloved companion Elder Guiñazu so im enjoying my last days together having fun while helping people getting to know Jesus and how we cvan be happy forever. No complaints here, except and accidental broken window, dont freak out fam. everythings fine. 

anyways thats where im at so this is Elder Carlos Cabrera signing off once again, until next week!!!

Have a good one!

facts of the week:

1. dont try to push against a door when the wind is pushing back, you will end up with a broken glass door.

2. dont even think about buying a snack on 18th of september, not a single person has their store open

3. dont try to make touchdown runs i the middle of a feld, youl end up with your ripped pants right down the line, didnt happen to me but i learned that lesson from others mistakes

the one with the hitchhiking

Hola Everybody!!! Elder Cabrera reporting to ya'll once again. man it was a fast week again!!! this week wasnt all that eventful other than the awesome interchange i had with one of my best buddies Elder Payton Dolenar, we killed it, its fun working with your friends, it makes it not seem like work. 

But the big thing was today i suppose, we had a barbecue with the zone today and it was great, we ate well, we played futbol, basketball, pingpong, the whole nine yards haha. but to get there...i definitely walked more than 9 yards. so what happened was we were traveling to the activity but we were running super late, on top of that we were in major traffic. my comp wanted to walk the rest of the way but he left it up to me to make the final decision. so i looked at the situation, doesnt seem to be moving anytime soon, the bus is full of people hot and gross, we seemed close so i was like yeah sure. so we get off and in less than a minute i kid you not the traffic clears up and the bus goes on its merry way. i was furious. we ended up walked maybe 15  miles and at a certain point i was trying to hitchhike and i was even waving money at passing cars, to no success. but in the end we got there, like an hour and a half late but we got there. alls well that ends well i suppose. 

i love you guys so much have a great week!

Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. the only english things the basic chilean knows is "hello, how are you, open the door, open the window" not very helpful in most cases...

2. never get off the bus even if youre suffering, youll regret it

3. patience is a Christ-like attribute that we all need to develop, one way or another i suppose...

the one where we go almost to Argentina

Hola Everybody here i am again writing and man it has been a crazy week full of experiences and awesome memories, i know ive probably said that a lot in my emails but its the truth everytime i say it, thats the mission for ya. 

This week there was a baptism but not from our side but a soul saved makes me happy all the same. His name is Kendy and hes haitian and i gave him his baptism interview. it was a little more difficult since he doesnt speak much spanish but i relied a lot on the gift of tongues and drawings here and there to make sure we were on the same page hahaha.

But this week we had the opportunity to serve a lot in various ways, whether it be english classes, math classes, putting stuco on house or chopping logs, im your guy. its been awesome learning how to do so many different things, if you asked me a year ago how do you put stucco on a house i wouldve said, "no idea". 

thats the mission for ya. today we went to this beautiful site called Portillo where Chile meets with Argentina and theres snow and it was a great time we had a snowball fight and played football (american style), it was a great time.

As you can see im very happy and content with life. i wish you the same happiness. 

Lots of love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. here where im at everytone goes to bed at like 8:30, it wouldve been my moms dream city when we were little kids

2. when people are cold here they decide the best course of action is to just go to bed, the answer to most problems

3. dogs chase bicyclists like crazy here, ive had to kick my fair share of K-9s

the one with the Benjamin baptism

Hola Everybody its me once again from beautiful Los Andes, Chile. well another week come and gone and it was an eventful one on top of that. obviously biggest highlight of the week is that our awesome investigator Benjamin got baptized and it was so special and he feel so great and clean. we ran into him the morning before his baptism and he said he couldnt sleep all night because he was so excited, it doesnt get much better than that. moments like that make all the rough parts of the mission worth it. we get rejected a lot, we get yelled at, a whole bunch of hard stuff, but in the end i dont remember that stuff. the good moments the happiness that i feel and see the miracles that happen, the changes in peoples lives for the better, thats what sticks with me when all is said and done. 

Llay Llay is beautiful and im still getting to know it but it has a lot of great potential and a lot of great people, not much more to ask for. The church is true guys. i cant stress that enough. some of you that read this arent "mormon" or members of the church of Jesus Christ but i invite you to think "why not?" this is true just take the time to find out for yourself and stop just hearing me talk about what i know. find out for yourself because its right in front of your face. take hold because itll be the best decision you'll ever make in your life. i love you guys and thats why i say what i say.

I wish you all a great week and i send you my best from down here. catch ya later guys.

Love, Elder Carlos Cabrera

facts of the week:

1. my companion makes broken underwear super delicious, haha okay thats a translation theres this dessert here called calzones rotos which translates to brokern underwear, its some good stuff never thought id say that.

2. never have your back facing a latino, its a sign of disrespect and you risk offending someone..better to just always have your back against a wall

3. here in chile they call kids and young people cabros or cabras which literaly just translates to goats, every young person is a goat according to a chilean